Russia is trying to influence the upcoming presidential elections in Romania. They will take place at the end of November - beginning of December.
Points of attention
- Russia is attempting to interfere in the upcoming presidential election in Romania using proxies, intermediaries and Russian-funded organizations.
- The Romanian Intelligence Service (SRI) closely monitors activities that threaten Romania's alliance with the EU and NATO and responds to possible cyber attacks on government institutions.
- Romanian MPs have called for checks on meddling by countries such as Russia, China and North Korea over cyber attacks and voter manipulation on social media.
- Russia interferes in the election process not only in Romania, but also in neighboring Moldova, where massive interference and attempts to influence election results are observed.
How the Russian Federation is trying to influence the presidential elections in Romania
According to the publication, Russia is using proxies, intermediaries and organizations linked to Russian funding to influence elections and possibly presidential candidates, but the names of the candidates have not been disclosed.
Sources emphasize that every citizen of the Russian Federation in Romania is under surveillance, and the Romanian Intelligence Service (SRI) is closely monitoring any activity that threatens Romania's alliance with the EU and NATO.
In addition, Romanian MPs called for checks on the possible involvement in the intervention of countries such as Russia, China and North Korea, in particular through cyber attacks on state institutions.
The Minister of Digitization of Romania announced the activity of networks of bots and trolls in social networks that support certain candidates or political programs. Because of these actions, the police opened a criminal case.
Russia tried to bring its own people to power in Moldova
The national security adviser of the current president of Moldova, Maia Sandu, made a statement on this occasion, Stanislav Sekriera.
According to him, the official Kishinev recorded "massive Russian interference" in the election process.
What is important to understand is that we are primarily talking about efforts with a high potential to distort voting results.
Among the examples of such interference, councilor Sandu mentioned the organized transportation of voters from Transnistria, which is illegal according to the election code of Moldova. As of 11:00 a.m., the turnout among Transnistrian voters has already exceeded the total for the entire first round.
ISW previously reported systematic efforts by Russia to interfere in elections in Moldova and to derail the referendum on the country's accession to the European Union and the victory of Maia Sandu.
